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May 22, 2015

For the past three years, the biggest argument supporters of Obamacare would trot out every single time when faced with opposition to the mandatory tax, would be that despite widespread predictions of soaring prices, US medical care service costs had remained low and even, on occasion, declined (we leave aside the lack of discussion about soaring deductibles which are recurring "one-time" charges incurred whenever anyone does need medical care, and whose weighted impact on overall medical outlays is dramatic).

A big reason for this delayed increase in prices is that many insurers were unable to gauge the full base-effect impact of Obamacare on their P&L: after all, effective implementation of Obamacare had been materially delayed thus preventing an apples to apples comparison of incurred fees versus revenues.

All that changed moments ago when core US inflation finally spiked the most since 2013 driven by a 0.7% monthly surge in medical care service costs: the highest since 2007!

What's far worse for the troubled US consumer, this is just the beginning. Because after finally digesting the true cost of Obamacare, any recent insurance prime hikes will seem like a walk in the park compared to what is coming.

According to the WSJ, key insurers in some states are proposing hefty rate boosts for plans sold under the federal health law.

Case in point:

In New Mexico, market leader Health Care Service Corp. is asking for an average jump of 51.6% in premiums for 2016.

In Tennessee, the biggest insurer BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, has requested an average 36.3% increase.

In Oregon, the largest insurer Moda Health seeks an average boost of around 25%.

All of them cite high medical costs incurred by people newly enrolled under the Affordable Care Act.

The irony is that while the Obama administration "can ask insurers seeking increases of 10% or more to explain themselves, but cannot force them to cut rates. Rates will become final by the fall."

Why the explosion in costs? Simple: take on look at the IBB or any other biotech index, all of which have exploded in recent years as a result of one key thing: pushing prices of medicines ever higher. Now, finally, these soaring prices which have likewise resulted in soaring stock prices, are about to be funded by everyone else.

...

Since the insurers have now had a chance to evaluate the impact of Obama's landmark tax on the top- and bottom-line, they have decided that they will need to charge the mandatorily insured Americans more. Much more. After all, it's not like Americans have much of a choice to say no to a "mandatory" tax.

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, CareFirst in Maryland and Moda in Oregon all said high medical claims from plans they sold over insurance exchanges spurred their rate-increase requests.

The Tennessee insurer said it lost $141 million from exchange-sold plans, stemming largely from a small number of sick enrollees. “Our filing is planned to allow us to operate on at least a break-even basis for these plans, meaning that the rate would cover only medical services and expenses—with no profit margin for 2016,” said spokeswoman Mary Danielson. The plan’s lowest monthly premium for a midrange, or “silver,” plan for a 40-year-old nonsmoker in Nashville would rise to $287 in 2016 from $220.

* * *

Moda Health said that with more than 100,000 individual members, it had the best data “on the care actually being received by these Oregonians. Our proposed rates reflect that.”

Under Moda’s proposal, a 40-year-old nonsmoker in Salem would pay $296 a month in 2016 for a silver plan, up from $245 a month this year. “It is a balance,” said Oregon Insurance Commissioner Laura Cali of her rate-review process.

But wasn't the Affordable Care Act supposed to make healthcare prices more, well, affordable?. Well no, as we have explained time and again, most recently last summer.

Who woulda thunk that at some point "we" would have to actually pay for all that "free" stuff.

February 12, 2015

After not giving a hoot about Barack Obama's college grades, teachers, or classmates, the MSM "discovers" how to do some journalism:

But in his classes, some professors said they never saw the same level of focus on schoolwork. In introductory French, for instance, Walker routinely barged into the room after the lesson had begun, loudly making excuses.

“He would talk to me, you know, say, ‘I’m very sorry, I had very important business’ ” with the student government, instructor Marc Boutet recalled. “I’m like, ‘En français ! En français!’ ”

Boutet said the other students tired of the daily disruptions. They started preemptively stealing Walker’s favorite desk, so he had nowhere to sit when he arrived.

“I think I gave him a D-minus,” Boutet said, adding that he saw Walker years later, and the two laughed about the class. French, Boutet said, “was not his thing.”

Even in politics class, Walker could appear disengaged.

“He seemed utterly bored,” said Michael Fleet, who taught him in a class on the politics of the Third World. Fleet said he’d hoped to get Walker into debates with the liberals in the room. But it didn’t work. Walker would only give occasional short speeches that made conservative arguments.

“It wasn’t always on key. It wasn’t always in response to anything,” Fleet said. “He wasn’t engaged. It was like he came in with a script.”

I don't recall comments from any of then-Senator Obama's instructors, do you?

I actually think this helps Walker. I bet there are a ton of potential voters out there who have a similar history as the Governor - they went to a "regular" college (not Ivy League), didn't care much for what school offerede, and went on to begin their lives. I think it is identifiable with people, and since Walker hasn't run away from his history, it becomes a non-factor for the guy on the street.

Our intellectual betters inside the beltway will laugh at his pedigree, and tell us why a guy like Walker isn't qualified to be President because he didn't graduate, but they won't be able to discount the successes he has had as a Governor and a politician.

Walker will resonate with the masses because of this.

If Walker stays true to his history (and why wouldn't he?), he'll do fine.

So if you are scoring at home, if you question the academic credentials of a Democrat, you are racist; if you look into a Republican's educational background, that is good journalism.

December 21, 2014

I've been trying to lose a few pounds here and there (travel schedule has made my pants fit a bit tighter!), and wanted to share the results of the first 4 months of my progress.

I've been using my Misfit Shine sleep and activity tracker to keep track of my overall daily exercise, a Polar FT60 heart rate monitor to maximize my workouts, the MyFitnessPal app to log my food intake/count calories, and the RunKeeper app to log my morning rides on the bike. I've also been using the new Apple iHealth dashboard to keep all my data in one spot, and also track my blood pressure.

I'm happy to report than in four short months, I've dropped 26.4 pounds, and seen my blood pressure drop by 26 points. Here's the screen shot from the MyFitnessPal app:

My clothes fit better, i feel great, and think i look a lot better to boot.

I haven't really altered my lifestyle too much, other than just paying closer attention to what I have been putting in my body. I'm still eating pretty much the same food, but just less of it to keep within my daily allowances.

The heart rate monitor has been a great tool as well. I used to just ride for a certain time or distance, now I'm hyper-aware of the intensity level, and for how long I stay within certain ranges. In other words, I'm doing the same workout, just in a more efficient manner to burn fat (and not "just" calories).

If you are thinking of making a New Year's resolution of losing weight, I'm proof positive that with a few minor lifestyle changes, you can get it done.

November 19, 2014

My father-in-law Tom was a great guy. He grew up on a fox farm on the East Coast, went off to war at the tender age of 17, and flew B-24's on dozens of missions. He came home, tried college for a bit, and then went to work. He made his name in plastics, met and married his beautiful bride Ali, and raised four kids, the youngest of which I'm quite fond of.

I didn't get to know him until very late in his life, but we sure made up for lost time. Tom (or "Geno", as I came to affectionately call him) could fix just about anything, was quick to lend a hand or ideas on projects, and was always interested in what was happening in my professional life. My friends all loved him, he loved them back, and no one could believe he (or Ali, for that matter) was as old as he was.

He walked daily, rain, snow, or shine, to stay on top of his weakened heart - multiple bypass operations couldn't slow him down. We often joked that he had been playing with "house money" when it came to his heart, the miracles of modern medicine keeping him with us for as long as possible.

Sunny days would find Geno sitting on the porch, enjoying one of his cigars, and chewing the fat. We would talk football, the Rockies, my Sun Devils, merits of the designated hitter, his struggling Jets; and his favorite subject of all, politics.

Tom loved listening to Rush, watching Fox News, and reading all the books from the various network personalities. If we hadn't spoken for a few days due to my business travel, we'd go over the list of stuff he wanted to catch up on. He was able to vote in the last election, and was thrilled on election night to see the Democrats receive a good thumping. He was a daily reader of WAMK, wore his t-shirt everywhere, and loved the random stuff I would find and post.

He volunteered at the zoo, processing the various items that went out to schools on loan. He'd make sure everything was put back in its proper place, and get the next batch ready to go out. He'd keep us up to date on the inner workings and gossip of the organization. We'd joke that he was the CEO, his passion and knowledge of the place. He loved the work, and the ladies he worked with.

He was a devoted man of the Church. Rarely missed a Mass, was buddies with Father Chris (they had an inside joke in which Father would speak to him in a tortured "New Yawk" accent, a tradition the continued when Father Chris spoke about Tom yesterday at his memorial), and was my go-to guy for questions on anything religion-related. He was so proud of the little Duper at her first communion last year.

He was deeply in love with his wife Ali. 64 years of marriage on this planet before she died last year, and we watched Tom change from being waited on to becoming her caregiver during the last year of her life. He learned how to shop for them, cook for them, and take care of her in a way he never had to before. He'd make sure she had her meds, got her to her appointments, and tried to keep her happy and comfortable.

He moved in with us for a few months after she passed, a new chapter and experience for all of us. We set him up in the front room, learned just how high the volume on our TV went, and included him in our semi-weekly DJ night in the kitchen. He'd cocktail with us, dance with the Duper, and egg us on. He was always up for an adventure into the mountains, to Home Depot, or to school for pickup. We found him an apartment in an independent living facility, he made some new friends, and would still join us for cocktails, conversations, and a home-cooked meal.

His health began to slip over the last month or so. His heart had a lot of miles on it, and things were beginning to break down. He was in and out of the hospital after stays of a few days several times. He came home for good last Thursday. I had been out of town on business, and we caught up a bit on Friday morning. His oldest son was coming into town on Sunday for a few days, so we knew we would have lots going on.

We got the call that he passed a little after 7 pm, exactly one year to the day as his wife. If that wasn't amazing enough, he died within an hour of Ali to boot.

We had a small ceremony yesterday morning, attended by his fellow residents, zoo co-workers, our friends, and our family. He was surrounded by love, and Father Chris gave a wonderful memorial.

He was a pilot, a father, a child of God, a grandfather, and most of all, my friend.

November 10, 2014

This was the biggest issue that you saw in all those ads leading up to the election right? Net neutrality? Wasn't that the number one thing on people's minds last Tuesday?

Good to see the President respond to his constituients.

I'm just curious about one thing - if the only to way to make sure the Internet remains "pure" is by letting the Feds control it, how come it hasn't been "polluted" already? What's stopped "powerful interests" from already doing exactly what the President is telling us will happen if the FCC isn't in charge?

Radio host Rush Limbaugh has threatened to sue the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) for defamation, The Daily Caller has learned.

Limbaugh retained the services of lawyer Patty Glaser and demanded that the DCCC “preserve all records in anticipation of a lawsuit for defamation and interference” after the Democratic Party group led a campaign against Limbaugh based on out-of-context statements the host made about sexual assault. Limbaugh’s legal team delivered a letter to DCCC representatives Monday informing them of the legal threat. Limbaugh has also demanded a public retraction and apology.

The Limbaugh team is currently proceeding from the standpoint of litigating and has not yet made a decision as to whether the DCCC could make any concessions at this point to prevent the lawsuit.

The DCCC “has intentionally disseminated demonstrably false statements concerning Rush Limbaugh in a concerted effort to harm Mr. Limbaugh, and with reckless disregard for the resulting impact to small businesses across America that choose to advertise on his radio program” according to the GlaserWeil law firm’s letter to the DCCC, which was obtained by TheDC. “Mr. Limbaugh clearly, unambiguously, and emphatically condemned the notion that ‘no’ means ‘yes.’”

“Let’s be clear: Rush Limbaugh is advocating for the tolerance of rape” the DCCC stated in a September fundraising email after Limbaugh mocked Ohio State’s new mandatory sexual consent guidelines.

A Liberal hero suggest one "punch back twice as hard". Limbaugh seems to be doing just that. He has deep pockets, time, and what appears to be a winnable case, so why not file suit?

There's the added side bonus of the DCCC having to toss money that could otherwise be put to better use (maybe helping to find better candidates than the ones they offered up in the last election) than having to defend themselves.

November 04, 2014

Every bit of this piece is fantastic, and pulling out various snippets for you to read would be nearly impossible to do. So I'll tease you with the open, and ask that you read the whole thing:

Here is the problem with the old-style Obama strategy of slicing and dicing the electorate into aggrieved minorities and then gluing them back together to achieve a 51% majority. On almost every issue in this election that they should be running on, they simply cannot. And on those that they are running on, they probably should not be.